


Sidelines

by Noblefloweroll



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst, Happy Ending, seijou 3rd years
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-27
Updated: 2018-01-27
Packaged: 2019-03-10 04:53:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,133
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13495338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noblefloweroll/pseuds/Noblefloweroll
Summary: After a car crash left Hanamaki with a punctured lung, he wasn’t sure if he would ever play volleyball with his three favorite people ever again.





	Sidelines

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday, Makki!!

“Fuck!” Fisted hands banged against metal lockers. “Makki—“  
“No! Dont you “Makki” me.” The strawberry blonde growled, tears threatening to spill from his eyes. “If I can’t fucking breathe long enough to run a mile and a half, let alone three miles, what’s the fucking point?” Oikawa cringed at the words, rubbing his nose between his thumb and forefingers. “You’re getting there.”  
“Getting there isn’t enough, Oikawa! This could be our last tournament and you think telling me that I’m getting there is going to make it better?” After having a punctured lung from a car crash, he had been cleared by a doctor to play again after a few weeks recovery time. Coach, however, would have none of it. 

_“Three miles in fifteen or less… and not a single wheeze. Then you can play again. I won’t have you passing out on my court.”_

The words rang in his head, deafening him to the sound of whatever progress he had already made. It was a challenge, one that he couldn’t beat. It was his biggest nightmare. The locker room he was in now rang with the echo of broken dreams and smelled of crushed spirits. It was empty, spare for the two of them. Matsukawa and Iwaizumi were outside, encouraging other members of the team to change elsewhere. “Yes! Because it’s two months away!” Oikawa took the other by the collar of his shirt and pushed him against a row of lockers. “You went from not being able to do half a mile to being able to run a mile and a half to being able to do three. You are two minutes away, Makki. Two. That’s progress.” He let go and silence filled the space between them but only for a moment. “Makki, if I gave up when I hurt my knee, I wouldn’t be here right now. Not as your captain and probably not as your friend. You need to remember why you’re here.” His voice was soft this time, offering comfort.

The blonde sniffled and blinked back a threatening tear. “What if I can’t do it? What if I have to sit on the bench and watch the three people I care about most go on to nationals? Mattsun and I, we... we were gonna go to nationals before we went to different Universities. But what if I can’t even do that?”  
“Makki...” his voice was softer now as he placed a hand on his shoulder, “is that what you’re worried about? That were going to leave you behind?” A noise caught in the brunette’. throat, as if he had choked on air. Before he knew it, Oikawa was gone and he was left alone in the room. Hanamaki slid down to the floor and curled his legs to his chest. A sob wrecked through him, so deep that it hurt is already burning lungs. He knew Oikawa wasn’t leaving him for good, but the brief loneliness was enough for him to realize what the problem was. 

He didn’t want to be on the bench. Since middle school, Matsukawa had always been there, right by his side and since day one of being at Seijho, Oikawa and Iwaizumi were there without fail. Issei, Of course, was more than just his close friend. Having been together since their second year, deciding to go to different universities was a difficult choice. He didn’t want his last match with his boyfriend to be spent with him watching from the sidelines. He didn’t want to cheer on the three of them from the bench. He wanted to be present, on the court, in the game, playing with three people he may never play with again. Another sob tore through him and suddenly, a large hand was holding his and pulling him onto his feet.

“Takahiro...” it was the calming voice of Matsukawa. They weren’t alone, Oikawa and Iwaizumi stood in the background. “Hiro... look at me.” His hand cupped Hanamaki’s cheek and a calloused thumb brushed away a tear. When he looked up, Matsukawa smiled sincerely, “Hiro, were never gonna leave you on the sidelines. C’mon. Oikawa and Iwaizumi may be idiots—  
“Oi, watch it”  
“But they love you. And I love you more. We’re not gonna let you fight this battle alone.”

Tear strained eyes met warm ones as his arms wrapped around Matsukawa’s neck. The other held him close, whispering encouraging words in his ear. Slowly, the tears stopped and Hanamaki was left, weak and dizzy, leaning against a strong chest. “Sit down, Makki.” Iwaizumi said, passing him a bottle of water as his directions were followed. Taking a deep breath, he took a drink and sighed, relaxing against the bench he sat on. “Thank you…”  
“Come to my place tonight.”  
“No, everyone at my place.” Oikawa interjected and Hanamaki couldn’t help but smile and nod his head. 

~

Three weeks had past since the last failure. Since his break down in the locker room, he had made his time better and better. In practice, Hanamaki ran outside, on pavement. During this physical examination, he used the elliptical which was proving to add more time. When he woke up that morning, he went on a run and came back. “Takahiro? What was you time?” His mother called as he ran into the house, whooping and hollering. “Fourteen and twenty-seven!” He called, running up the stairs to shower. When he got to school that day, Iwaizumi walked up to him and smiled “You ready for today?” He asked, passing him a mug that was full of tea. “As I’ll ever be.” 

~

When the machine stopped, his body was weak and sweaty. His legs shook beneath him as he leaned over and rested his head against the hand holds. He drew in a deep breath, letting it out, afraid to look up at the time. There was silence in the room, just him and the coach. He took one last deep breath and climbed off the machine, standing up and eyeing his coach. The man smiled a bit and handed him a bottle of water, “If you don’t get changed fast, you’ll miss practice.”

Hanamaki, not expecting that answer, froze for a second before a smile perched itself on his lips. His eyes darted to the machine and a sigh of relief fell from his lips, 14:58. He darted off to the changing rooms and got into his gear, running out to the court. The first thing he was greeted with was a collective shout from his three best friends, “Makki!” And before he knew it, Oikawa had bounded over and pulled him into a hug. Iwaizumi patted his back. Matsukawa, once Oikawa was done, pulled him close and kissed his cheek, “Told you we weren’t gonna leave you on the side lines.”


End file.
